NEW PORT RICHEY, Florida -- He went to Charlotte to watch the Florida State Seminoles play football, but a Bay Area man may never come home from his trip.

Police say 22-year-old Sean Powers fell four stories as he made his way to his seat at Saturday night's ACC Championship Game.

He's in critical condition with life-threatening injuries.

Powers and his two brothers grew up on an all-American street in New Port Richey. Jeremy Rivera was the kid next door. "I actually used to come out here and throw the football to him. We'd just throw the football right here on the street," Rivera said.

After a long pause, he added, "It's sad that this happened because I really think that he had a really bright future."

Rivera is reeling from the news that his outgoing, music-loving neighborhood buddy fell 40 feet Saturday.

Police in Charlotte say Powers apparently accidentally dropped from a ramp walkway on the outside of Bank of America Stadium. People at the stadium said he landed in a grassy area and was then rushed to the hospital.

The fall happened just after the 8 p.m. kickoff of the ACC Championship Game between FSU and Georgia Tech. Research shows people have about a 50-50 chance of surviving a fall from that height if they land on their side or feet.

People who land on their head rarely survive.

Powers was attending St. Petersburg College, according to neighbors and his Facebook page. And Rivera said his last conversation with Powers about a month ago may explain why he was in Charlotte watching the Florida State Seminoles play. "I actually talked to him, and he told me he had plans to go to Florida State," Rivera said.

This isn't the first time the Powers family has felt tragedy. Neighbor Phyllis Magliocca said they moved out of Sean's childhood home, which is now empty and up for sale, after what happened in February. "His dad passed away ... at the age of 49 from, I believe, a cerebral hemorrhage," Magliocca said.

"And the family, to have this happen again, is just devastating, especially for the other two boys," she added.

Police told the Charlotte Observer the fall looks like an accident, and Powers may have been intoxicated when he went over the wall.